Minimally invasive intravascular procedures are common in the treatment of vascular disease. For example, intravascular restrictions due to atherosclerosis, restenosis, or the like may be dilated by intravascular balloon catheters or may be removed by intravascular atherectomy catheters. These intravascular procedures and the use of their associated devices may result in embolic particles being dislodged as the restriction is being dilated or cut. The embolic particles may cause an embolism to form downstream of the restriction which, in turn, may compromise the flow of blood to the surrounding tissue.
To alleviate this potential risk, intravascular occlusion balloon catheters have been developed. Such occlusion catheters typically include an elongate shaft and a distally mounted balloon. The shaft and the balloon are insertable into a lumen of a primary catheter such as a dilatation catheter or an atherectomy catheter. The occlusion balloon is positioned distal of the treatment site and temporarily inflated to prevent embolic particles from flowing downstream as the restriction is being dilated or cut. After the restriction has been treated, the primary catheter is removed over the occlusion balloon catheter. The treatment site proximal of the occlusion balloon is then aspirated through a guide catheter. Once the embolic particles have been aspirated, the occlusion balloon is deflated and removed from the patient.
In order to retract the primary catheter over the occlusion balloon catheter, the occlusion catheter must be approximately two times the length of the guidewire lumen of the primary catheter. Dilatation catheters are typically 70-150 cm in length, which requires the occlusion catheter to be approximately 140-300 cm or more in length. An occlusion catheter of such length may compromise the ability of the treating physician to manipulate the catheter and is otherwise cumbersome to handle. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a relatively short intravascular occlusion balloon adapted for use with a standard length primary catheter. It is also desirable to provide an occlusion catheter that is simple to prepare for use.